Event Details

The Costing Sustainable Services online course is now open for registration. The course will start from 15th October 2012.

The course consists of three modules:

Module 1 What is a life-cycle cost approach?;introduces the main concepts of life-cycle costing, its underlying principles and key components.

Module 2 Using a life-cycle cost approach?; gives ideas and tools on how life-cycle costing can be integrated in your own work and organisation.

Module 3 Analysing a life-cycle cost approach?; explains how to analyse life-cycle costs and service levels of water and sanitation

Main course information and requirements:

The course is free

The course is in English

An internet connection is required

You will receive online support throughout the course

You will receive a IRC Certificate upon successful completion of the course

How you follow the courseAfter you register you will receive login details and a password by e-mail to access the course material. You can start at your own pace from the 15th October by logging in and following the module of your choice. We suggest that you follow the 1, 2, 3 order of the modules described above, but you can select any module to start or switch between modules. The course material guides you through the modules and exercises and you complete this at your own pace.

You will work mainly on your own, but support is available through a question and answer forum, where you can leave your own questions and see what other participants have asked (and the answers). IRC staff aims to answer questions in this forum within 48 hours and you are also free to leave your own comments and answers, which means you can interact with other participants. At set weeks throughout the year, IRC staff will be available to give more intensive support, during which time they will be available every weekday at pre-determined time slots for a live chat session. During these weeks questions posed in the forum will be answered within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions:

Q: Is this online course for me?

A: The Costing Sustainable Services online course has been developed by IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre to assist WASH sector professionals (governments, NGOs, donors and individuals, etc) to use a life-cycle cost approach to plan and budget for sustainable and equitable WASH services. The course will help you answer the following questions:

·Is my service delivery model sustainable over time?

·Who is paying for what costs over time?

·What service level will my delivery model achieve?

Q: What are the main topics discussed in each module?

A:Module 1 discusses:

How cost information contributes to sustainable WASH services. What is the life-cycle cost approach and its benefits? What are the life-cycle cost components needed to plan and budget for sustainable WASH service delivery?

What constitutes a sustainable WASH service and what criteria can be used to cost and monitor services. How to identify strengths and weaknesses of the WASH service delivered. Creation of water, sanitation and/or hygiene ladders with customised service levels. The evaluation of benchmark service levels to be achieved.

What the benefits of a service delivery approach are and identifies different WASH service delivery models. How to create and share a concise description of your service models.

Module 2 examines:

Developing a plan to introduce and integrate life-cycle costing into your work or organisation to improve sustainability of WASH services.

How to get more out of the life-cycle cost approach; increasing the level of detail for more complex analysis; using a life-cycle cost approach for poverty and affordability analysis; using GIS in a life-cycle cost approach.

Module 3 enables analysis of life cycle costs and service levels of water and sanitation, specifically:

What are my life-cycle costs?Determining how life-cycle costs impact overall expenditure in the next 20 years. Which life-cycle cost components are most significant - capital expenditure or operational expenditure? What is the impact of rehabilitation and renewal of WASH infrastructure or of the loan that was taken out?

Forecasting of expenditures: who pays for what? For the next 20 years after an intervention who will pay for what life-cycle cost components? What is the potential impact of inflation or population growth?

Identification of sustainability risks with expenditures. Modelling shortfall in expenditures based on breakdown rates and renewal costs and some typical operational costs. Comparing whether the expenditures expected are going to be enough to ensure the sustainability of the service delivery model.

Comparing WASH service levels received by users across projects, districts, regions or countries. Identifying gaps between ‘designed for’ and ‘received’ services. Comparing how services differ across population groups.

Q: What is the structure of each module?

A: Each module consists of a series of sessions, each explaining key components of the life-cycle cost approach methodology. There are separate materials for water and sanitation. More extensive hygiene materials will be added by June 2013.

Each session combines exercises with reading materials. Some sessions also include optional videos and online webinars. Depending on individual knowledge and interest, participants can choose which sessions, exercises or reading materials are useful.

Q: How long does it take to complete one module of the Costing Sustainable Services online course?

A: Each module takes between 8 – 16 hours to complete depending on whether all sessions and exercises are followed for both water and sanitation components. Participants have 3 months to complete one module and receive a certificate. If participants do not log in for more than 3 months the account will be closed and participants will have to re-register to follow a module and repeat all exercises in order to receive a certificate.

Q: Do I get to interact with IRC staff? How is the course facilitated?

A: From the 15 October 2012, participants can start on any day of the year following any of the three modules of the Costing Sustainable Services online course. Support is available through a question and answer forum. IRC staff aim to answer questions in this forum within 48 hours. Interaction with other participants is possible through the question and answer forum, by leaving and replying to comments and in various exercises included in the course.At set weeks throughout the year, IRC staff will be available from Monday to Friday to give intensive support to participants. During these weeks, IRC staff will be available every day at pre-determined time slots for a live chat session with participants and questions posed in the forum will be answered within 24 hours. In 2012 intensive support from IRC staff is available between:

Glossary costing sustainable services: The main terms used throughout the online course are explained in a glossary. Participants can also comment on the different terms, add their own descriptions or upload pictures. All terms included in the glossary are automatically linked to the glossary when used anywhere in the text of the online course. If you click on any of the terms included in the glossary somewhere in the text, you are automatically taken to the glossary.

Question and answer forum: Anything unclear? Any questions? In this forum participants can ask questions to IRC staff members or have look at questions posted by other participants. If a participant knows the answer to one of the questions asked, they are welcome to answer it as well. Questions will be answered by IRC staff within 48 hours.

Comments: Participants can interact with other participants by leaving or responding to comments.

Q: How do I receive a certificate?

A: An IRC certificate is available per module. Certificates can be downloaded by the participant after successful completion of the test and the filling in of an evaluation form at the end of each module. For successful completion of the test participants need to answer at least 8 out of the 10 questions correctly. Tests can be repeated as often as needed.